Chopard’s Mille Miglia – Time’s New Engine
Chopard’s Mille Miglia 2019 Race Edition timepiece celebrates a three-decade partnership with the famous open-road race.
Born from more than 150 years of horology and a rich history of Italian motorsport comes Swiss watchmaker Chopard’s Mille Miglia 2019 Race Edition, the new watch that marks a 31-year partnership with the Mille Miglia race. The watch is aptly named after the Mille Miglia, an open-road track spanning 1,000 miles through Italy. It was named “la corsa più bella del mondo,” “the most beautiful race in the world,” by Enzo Ferrari, and for good reason. The route winds from Brescia to Rome, through cities such as Siena and Modena, passing some of the most stunning sights Italy has to offer.
The watch itself, which belongs to the Mille Miglia GTS collection, is available in 1,000-piece stainless steel or 250-piece two-tone stainless steel and 18-karat rose gold. The 1,000-piece watch is dedicated to those with a penchant for speed, while the 250-piece edition takes a more peaceful approach, giving emphasis to the importance of movement. Both, however, pride themselves on performance.
The watch’s hands and hour-markers are coated with Super-LumiNova, ensuring optimum readability at all hours of the day, while the two chronograph counters feature an anthracite grey that contrasts effortlessly with the silver-toned dial. The piece is powered by a self-winding chronograph movement with an accuracy certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, and it has a full two-day power reserve. This unwavering level of detail even carries through to the strap, which pays homage to the original drivers with a Dunlop 1960s tire tread motif lining.
Chopard’s partnership with Mille Miglia began in 1988, after the race was resurrected in 1977. The brand’s Mille Miglia line, which pays tribute to some of the grand, classic esthetics of the oldest cars that took part in the race, builds a bridge between classic watchmaking and automotive engineering, and sits within the passions of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard.
The partnership doesn’t just mark a 31-year collaboration with Mille Miglia, but also the next step in a history of impeccable watchmaking that began in 1860 in the Jura region of Switzerland.
The 1,000-piece Watch Is Dedicated To Those With A Penchant For Speed, While The 250-piece Edition Takes A More Peaceful Approach, Giving Emphasis To The Importance Of Movement
Founded by Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the Chopard brand has moved from strength to strength since then, pushing the boundaries of horology and esthetic.
Take the new Time Traveler One watch, for example. The brand’s first world time watch in the L.U.C collection, it transfers each of the planet’s time zones to your wrist in the form of a synchronized, streamlined design. The collection features a Toronto Edition, dedicated to the multiculturalism of the city, whose time is marked on the watch in red.
With the Mille Miglia 2019 Race Edition now available, the opportunity to own a timepiece packed with substance, style and classic racing charm has never been easier. As Scheufele says: “People say that lovers of fine cars also have a great weakness for fine timepieces and vice versa. In both cases, sporting elegance and outstanding performance are especially important.”